Facebook And GM Negotiate; False Malware Alert

Reuters reports that GM and Facebook are “in talks” to have GM return to the paid advertising channel on the social giant. Interim marketing chief Alan Batey tells Reuters, “We're still actively talking to them and looking at opportunities that come our way. I wouldn't tell you that there's a Mexican standoff here. We just didn't see the value in the ads.” Oh, the intrigue. Read more. Will GM put their credit card into FB’s self-serve tool - or not?? Tune in next week!

Mobile RTB Challenge

On Mobile Marketer, Chantal Tode looks at some of the challenges of real-time bidding (RTB) for mobile. Joe Germscheid of agency Carmichael Lynch notes the difficulty of identifying audience: “Some companies are beginning to solve these challenges with geo based ideas such as Wi-Fi connection information, but it is still difficult to verify unique user identity.” No cookies doesn’t help. Read more.

False Malware Alert

An apparent false Google Chrome warning about malware temporarily blocked access to sites using isocket ad tags. Affected sites included TechCrunch and Inside Facebook. isocket’s John Ramey didn’t take the false positive lying down and told Search Engine Watch, “So far we have zero indications of malware actually being distributed by our ad server, and zero traces of any breaches to our industry-standard security. Google’s malware system is often contradictory and prone to false positives that inappropriately cripple good websites. We are vigorously investigating what the issue may have been and trying to get our publishers back online...” Read more.

From Data To Display

Datonics President and CEO Michael Benedek picks up his quill for iMedia Connection and prognosticates on the year ahead. He envisions thusly, “The inevitable continued migration of advertising budgets from search-to-display; Increased demand for data (as we're still in the 2nd or 3rd inning of a long game)...” And, more.

eBay’s Mobile Paradox

EBay CEO John Donahoe called mobile shopping “the new normal” during the company’s Q4 earnings call, citing sharp increases in mobile traffic and transactions. More in MarketWatch and TechCrunch. So eBay is officially a mobile media juggernaut -- right? Alas, Devin Wenig, president of global marketplaces, recently told AllThingsD, “We aren’t happy with the user experience and we don’t need the money...The ads also didn’t deliver meaningful revenue. It’s not worth it.” Revisit that story. I wonder how the folks at PayPal Media Network feel about that.

Near Field, Near Term

McKinsey principal David Edelman sees more powerful mobile/local offers right around the corner, supported by Near Field Communication tech. Speaking at yesterday’s Adscon event hosted by Media6Degrees and NYU, Edelman said, “Our sense is there's going to be breakthroughs in creating more lightweight ways to do this. If someone has an NFC tag in their phone and they tap a beer coaster, they'll gain access to special deals from that brewery, the brewery knows who they are. That’s coming in a very close time horizon. Some clients are making plans for that.”